Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-12-30
UTAH STATEHOOD.

"With the compliments of the Demo
cratic and Republican Territorial com
mittees of Utah" comes a seventy tw,
page pamphlet containing reasons an'
arguments why the territory of Utal
should not be admitted into the sister
hood of states. 1t is not often that Dem
ocrats and Republicans join in one move
ment and make common cause
1t is only when they see dan
ger ahead and realize that partisanshil
must give way to patriotism. Il
political contests, Republican orators
will proclaim in high sounding sentence!
that Democratic domination means the
destruction of the republic, and Demo
cratic orators will sagely agseverate tina
unless Democrats win victory, thu
country will be cast sdrift, a wreck upor
the waste waters of dissolution. Botf
orators Will be cheered and applaude6
roundly; neither are believed, or be.
lieve. When real danger threat
ems the stability of the institutions
Of the country, Democrats and Republicans
forget alike their partissnship and join
hands as they have done in Utah, fighting
together as one man for principle dear
to them and ready TO fight each other on
unimportant details for the sake of har-
mony in their respective parties. The
Joint question is, evil the American
people surrender the territory to an IN
scrupulous and polygamous theocra-
cy?" The history of the movement
Is taken up and discussed, the
object of it explained and the results
if successful foreshadowed. The SID
munds law" has been creating some
trouble in the Territory. Some Of the
leading saints had been driven into exile,
others were jailed or hunted like outlaws,
as they were, and the priests met togeth-
er to devise means of evadiDg it. The
idea Of seeking admission into the Union
WAS taken up and carried. A constitu-
ton was framed making it Grim
inal and punishable By fine and
imprisonment to practice polygamy,
or bigsmy, and the Democrats and Repub-
licans were called and asked to pertici-
pate in the movement. There are Dem
ecTsts and Republicans holding Federal
offices in the Territory who, if the Terri
tory became a state, would be thrown
out of employment, aud this, doubtless,
was the primal cause or inspiration of the
opposition to the "People's movement"
as it is called, but as they proceeded they
found other and more excellent rea-
sons. It was discovered that the
priests, and the church which con-
trolls everything, were leading in the
movement. The delegates elected to the
territorial Legislature were every one
priests; the proposed constitution swas
written and approved by priests; priests
wrote the clause making bigamy and po-
lygamy infamous and criminal, and
priests conducted the campaign. 1t was
considered strange that the church
should antagonize one of its dearly be-
loved and most distinctive tenets for the
poor privilege of becoming member of
Uncle Sans family. 1t WAS remembered
thst this same church had torn down and
insulted Uncle Sans flag, ridiculed his
army, threatened him with armed resist
ence and conducted itself generally in
most unseemly and incorrigible manner.
A bug was looked for under the chip and
the venerable and ever serviceable Sene-
gsmbi.n was hunted for in the wood pile.
1t was found that this horror of polygamy
was merely assumed for the pur-
pose of expediency and that SIS soon
SIS the state to be was crowned with
the Jewel of her sovereignty, she would
proceed to arrange her domestic affairs
In her own way and according to her own
taste, and that polygamy would be still
IN article of her fsith and be protected by
state sovereignty and state rights. The
and Democrats were aroused,
the gosd of selfshness was Withdrawn
ind the spur of patriotism applied. The
.esult is the address to the people of the
United States, which will close the door
lpon Utah until she learns TO live more
;ontinently.